1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ophthalmologic imaging system configured to capture an image of an eye.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, digitization of medical images has made progress. Particularly in the ophthalmic field, the merit of digitization is believed to be relatively significant, as well as in the radiographic image field, because of the property of utilizing multiple images in diagnosis.
An ophthalmologic imaging system is generally configured by connecting an ophthalmologic imaging device to a computer. As an ophthalmologic imaging device, a retinal camera, a slit lamp, an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography), and so on are known. In addition, as a computer to be connected to the ophthalmologic imaging device, those employed in the operation of setting up the ophthalmologic imaging device, those for storing image data of captured images, and so on are employed.
JP Patent laid-open No. 2005-6894 discloses an ophthalmologic imaging system in the form of connecting a retinal camera to a computer for setup. This ophthalmologic imaging system is configured to perform the following setting operations of the retinal camera on the computer side and to unify the setting contents on the computer side: (1) setting of imaging types (color imaging, visible fluorescence imaging, infrared fluorescence imaging, and so on); (2) setting of imaging sensitivity of an image pick-up element (CCD); (3) setting of resolution of captured images; (4) setting of color images/monochrome images; (5) setting of illumination light volume; (6) setting of the compression rate of image data; and (7) setting of imaging interval.
Such a conventional ophthalmologic imaging system is effective in the management of imaging information, but it is feared that there is a problem in terms of efficiency of imaging as described below.
When operating the imaging system, an examiner is located facing a subject across the ophthalmologic imaging device. The computer is, as shown for example in FIG. 2 of JP Patent laid-open No. 2005-6894, generally placed alongside the examiner facing the subject. The examiner performs imaging in a position facing the subject—that is, the ophthalmologic imaging device. A captured image is displayed on a display unit of the ophthalmologic imaging device or the computer.
When terminating imaging of that subject and shifting to imaging of the next subject, or when implementing another type of imaging on the same subject, the examiner needs to change his/her position to face not the ophthalmologic imaging device but the computer, and to change the setting of the ophthalmologic imaging device by operating a keyboard and/or a mouse. In a conventional ophthalmologic imaging system, the examiner performs such operations for each setting change, so that it is difficult to improve the efficiency of imaging work.
In particular, when performing imaging of a plurality of subjects consecutively (such a case occurs on a daily basis), the examiner needs to frequently change settings of the ophthalmologic imaging device, so that the efficiency of imaging may decrease significantly.